James M. Gress: Too many teens homeless in Florida

November 20, 2013|By James M. Gress

For most people, the complexity of homelessness is reduced to the image of a middle-aged person, face weathered by a life outdoors, begging on the street. As the executive director of Covenant House Florida, this is not the face of homelessness I see every day.

I see broken teenagers, pregnant youth and troubled street kids, all of whom have faced unimaginable hardship in their short lives. Discarded and forgotten, they've been turned away by every family member, slept on the couch of every friend, fallen through the cracks of every system, and crossed every boundary in order to survive the streets and make it to our doors.

These kids are trapped in the center of a complex web of poverty, violence, abuse, and parents unable or unwilling to care for them: Kids left to fend for themselves are the "homeless" served by Covenant House Florida. There's no choice in this lifestyle, homelessness is about survival and there's no opportunity for a better life without the support of others.

We're a nonprofit that provides safety, shelter, and services to homeless youth up to age 21. Since our inception in 1985, we've served more than 35,000 youth. While I'm pleased to report these statistics, I'm disheartened that the need continues to be so great.

At Covenant House Florida, our 70 beds are always full. Every day, we must turn away about 15 more youth and add their names to our growing "waiting list." We do our best to help them find shelter for the night, but we're not always successful. When I consider that one-third of these youth are pregnant teens and parenting moms, I become even more alarmed by the conditions homeless youth must confront and more determined to make Covenant House Florida a leader in ending this cycle.

How do we as a community stem the growing tide of homeless youth? First, we must expand our view of the homeless and acknowledge that there are too many who have the face of a child.

Next, we must join together as a community to provide homeless kids with opportunities to reach their fullest potential by treating them as if they were our own, because they are. Together we can stop this problem before we lose these kids to the street forever.

James M. Gress oversees all operations and staff at the Covenant House facilities in Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.